As is known by one skilled in the aeronautical field, the pipes and tubes used to conduct fluids and hardware in a gas turbine engine are exposed to a hostile environment with exceptionally high vibrations. Obviously, the constant rubbing of the pipes, tubes or hardware attached to the casing of an aircraft gas turbine engine is subjected to wear and fatigue. This invention contemplates the use of dampers incorporated into the clamp for clamping the pipes or tubes to the engine case. According to this invention the damper is a means for isolating a component from the vibrations of its support. The damper comprises wire bundles or braided wire that is judiciously attached to the attachment mechanism which in turn is wrapped around the tube in a discrete manner so as to allow the wire to dissipate the vibratory energy.
There are a plethora of clamps that are disclosed in the prior art that are "U" shaped, "C" shaped and "O" shaped and the like that primarily serve to secure pipes, hardware, tubes and the like. For the most part these devices are primarily concerned with the fit of the fastener and particularly the ability to tighten it. Others are concerned with expansion and contraction and provide compensation means. Examples of such fasteners are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,843,083 granted to Angibaud on Oct. 22, 1974 entitled "Mounting Apparatus For Portable Device", 1,140,535 granted to Schroeder on May 25, 1915 entitled "Removable Core For Metal Barrels", 5,167,353 granted to Hughes on Dec. 1, 1992 entitled "U" Post Bracket For Bicycles", 4,826,114 granted to Umehara on May 2, 1989 entitled "Pipe and Clamp Combination", 3,817,564 granted to Baldwin et al on Jun. 18, 1974 entitled "Clamp Assembly For Pressure Vessel", 2,451,405 granted to Oakes on Oct. 12, 1948 entitled "Combination Clamp and Closure" and 4,817,897 granted to Kreusel on Apr. 4, 1989 entitled "Cross-Connector To Two crossing Tubular Elements".
As mentioned in the above paragraph this invention is primarily concerned with isolating the secured member from the vibrations of the support. The damping is effectuated by the small wires that form the cable that surrounds the member being supported. Of importance to this type of construction is the fact that it is easy to fabricate, assemble and the weight is relatively low and the unit is economical to build. The damping enhances the life of the component being supported.